Decadent Whoopie Pies get a healthy re-do with whole wheat flour, pumpkin puree, and a lot less added sugar.
Read on to see how to make these better-for-you Whoopie Pies and to see how fun they are for kids to eat.
Not that I’m dating myself or anything, but it seems like just yesterday – the spring of 1993 to be exact – that the Food Network was first launched. I’ve seen a lot of shows come and go, and for the most part, the recipes I see on FN is pretty rich and decadent. Long story short, when Boston University graduate students, Cristine and Ashley, interned with with me this past winter and spring, I cooked up a fun project for them: Give some of Food Network’s most indulgent recipes a healthy makeover.
Cristine and Ashley poured over the FN website and came up with a few recipes they were itching to rescue including the Neely’s Whoopie Pumpkin Pies. For the “Throwdown,” here’s what they cooked up:
Whoopie Pie Throwdown Mission:
– Swap the 1 stick of butter in the cakes and 1/2 stick in the filling for something healthier
– Replace some of the all-purpose flour in the cakes with whole wheat
– Maintain the luscious, creamy flavor of traditional Whoopie Pies
Throwdown Magic:
– Replace the butter in the cakes with organic canola oil and pureed pumpkin
– Replace some of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour
– Make the filling with 1/3-less fat cream cheese instead of butter and add pumpkin to that too
This batter is pretty sticky; it’s similar to a brownie batter. But trust me, it works every time.
The cream cheese frosting is light and fluffy.
- Serves: 14
- Serving size: 1 pie
- Calories: 230
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Sodium: 320mg
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 5g
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 2 tablespoons organic canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup 1% low-fat milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- One 8-ounce package ⅓ less fat cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ to 1 cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Pinch of salt
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside, Whisk together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Combine the sugar, pumpkin, and oil in a large bowl and beat on medium speed until well blended, 1 minute. Add the egg, milk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract and continue to beat until smooth. At low speed, gradually beat in the flour mixture until just combined.
- Drop heaping tablespoons of the batter onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between the cakes. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, about 8 minutes, or until the cakes are puffed and springy to the touch. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the cakes to a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining batter. You should make a total of 28 cakes.
- For the filling, place the cream cheese, pumpkin, and vanilla extract in a large bowl, and beat at medium speed until blended. Gradually add the powdered sugar (taste after adding ½ cup and then decide if you need more sugar), cinnamon, and salt and beat at low speed until blended. Raise the speed to medium once the sugar is incorporated and continue to beat until creamy.
- To assemble, spread 1¾ tablespoons of the filling on the flat side of half the cakes, and then top with the remaining cakes.
Before the Throwdown
Calories = 350
Total Fat = 16 grams
Saturated Fat = 10 grams
After the Throwdown
Calories = 230
Total Fat = 6 grams
Saturated Fat = 2 grams
If you try this recipe, let me know what you think. It’s a dessert I’ve been making now for years, so I hope you’ll give it a whirl.
I recently made the Chocolate Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders for a Kids Cooking Green class in Lexington, MA. As you can see, they supersized some of the pies and loved every bite!
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